The Rightful Heir
by bridgetwiththebrighteyes
Summary: 25 years have passed since Sarah defeated the Labyrinth and the wicked Goblin King. When he returns on her daughter's 16th birthday, a series of strange events is set into motion. Sarah and young Laurel find themselves in great danger as they discover that things are not always what they seem, and that destiny is not so easy to escape.
1. A Midnight Visit

**The Rightful Heir**

Sarah Kingston lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. A cool autumn breeze blew through the open window, and she pulled the blanket up around her neck. The headlights of a car illuminated the room for a brief moment as it drove by, rattling the loose pebbles and fallen leaves on the road. She rolled over and stole a glance at the alarm clock beside her bed.

11:45.

Damn.

She sat up with a groan, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. She had to get some sleep. In less than twelve hours, her house would be full of people, mostly hyperactive teenagers, dancing to loud music and hopped up on sugar. It wasn't the most attractive thought, but after all, it wasn't everyday one's only daughter turned sixteen. Laurel had begged for this party for months, and though Sarah would have much preferred a quite, intimate get together, apparently these days sixteenth birthdays required either expensive, elaborate parties, or expensive, elaborate gifts. Her daughter was quite popular at school, just the opposite of herself at that age. Perhaps that was where the disconnect was. Laurel had just reached a point where Sarah could no longer relate to her own daughter.

Laurel was the type that everything always seemed to go right for. She made friends easily, she was good in school, and she had the uncanny knack to get everything she wanted with little effort. It led to her being a bit spoiled, but Sarah knew that she was good-natured, and she had very little issues with her behavior. Of course, she could be careless about things she was disinterested in, such as her after school shifts in the bookstore, and she could have a rather nasty temper, but all in all, Laurel was a good kid, and Sarah loved her dearly.

Even dearly enough to invite a hundred people into her house on a Saturday afternoon.

A loud screech outside her window snapped Sarah out of her thoughts with a start. She crawled out of bed, and peered outside, trying to locate the sound. The harvest moon cast a golden glow across her yard, and the breeze was rippling through the large willow trees in the front yard. She could not see anything out of the ordinary, but did notice a branch in the willow swaying slightly, as though something had just landed on top of it.

"Must have been an owl," she muttered to herself, turning back towards her bed. Her clock now read 11:56, and she heaved a heavy sigh. She desperately needed to unwind. She grabbed her bathrobe that was hanging on the back of her vanity chair, and quietly snuck out of her room into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, and let the room fill up with steam as she grabbed a towel from the closet, and slipped off her nightgown.

She stood in the shower for a few minutes, just letting the warm water wash over her body. Her mother had taught her this trick when she was a kid, to let the warm water soothe her tight muscles, and the hot, humid air lull her into a relaxed state. After a while, she began to feel more tired, and shut the shower off. She dried off quickly, and slid her underwear and nightgown back on to her damp skin. She put on her bathrobe, and tied it firmly around herself. Taking one final deep breath, she opened the door, and shut off the bathroom light before heading back into her bedroom.

She looked at her bed for a moment, contemplating crawling into it as she was, but she decided against it. If she went to bed without combing her hair, it would dry in a tangle, and she knew it would look messy and unkempt tomorrow. She wasn't going to have all those people seeing her looking like that. She flipped the lamp on her bedside table, and sat down at her vanity. She picked up a comb, and started running through her long dark hair. A breeze blew through the window, and she pulled her robe tighter around herself. There was another noise outside her window, a soft rustling. There was a strange feeling in the air, almost electric, and the hair on her arms began to rise.

"Well now, no need to get all gussied up on my account," a voice drawled behind her. She jumped in her seat, and looked up to see someone standing in front of her window. Her blood ran cold as she turned around to face him, an all too familiar figure. Tall and thin, his long blonde hair blowing gently in the wind, his black cloak billowing behind him. A figure that had haunted the darkest corners of her nightmares for the past twenty-five years.

The Goblin King.

"You…" she gasped, her mouth going dry. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Really now, Sarah, is that anyway to greet an old friend?" he said with a smirk, slowly making his way into the room.

"You… are not my friend…" she sputtered, grasping the back of her chair tightly.

"No? You're not still angry about that little incident in my kingdom all those years ago?"

"You mean when you kidnapped my brother? Or when you tricked me into eating a poisoned peach?" she snapped, getting to her feet. "Or did you mean when you stole an hour of time from me, and then turned the cleaners on me and Hoggle?"

"All things that you asked of me, silly girl," he sneered. "I see you haven't changed a bit. Still taking everything for granted. And after I came all this way…"

"Shut up! What do you want from me?" she demanded.

"And still selfish as ever, thinking everything is all about you," he was standing by her nightstand, inspecting the photos of her family that sat there.

"No, my interests have… shifted, shall we say," he said, reaching down to pick up a frame. "Such a lovely daughter you have…"

You stay away from my daughter," Sarah snarled, lunging towards him. She crashed into her nightstand, and whirled around to see him, now standing beside her dresser, inspecting the picture in his hand with mild curiosity.

"Strange though, she doesn't look a thing like you," he mused, tapping a finger on his lip thoughtfully. "Or your husband for that matter."

"Did you hear what I said? Stay away from her!"

"A mother with dark hair and green eyes, a father with dark hair and dark eyes, and yet a child with blonde hair and blue eyes. How did you manage that, precious? Scorned lover, perhaps?"

He reappeared beside the bedroom door as Sarah dove for him again, still looking over the photograph.

"I said, leave her alone!" Sarah cried, and he chuckled for a moment.

"Of course, her appearance isn't the most interesting thing about dear little Laurel, is it, precious?"

"What are you on about?" She snapped, moving slowly towards him. Perhaps she could catch him off guard before he moved again…

"Come now, Sarah, you can't tell me you haven't noticed," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Noticed what? What do you mean?"

"Your daughter holds a great deal of magical potential, Sarah."

"I… I don't know what you…"

"Don't play dumb with me, Sarah," he said sharply, setting the picture down on her vanity. "I know you've noticed. You must have. How young Laurel manages to get everything she desires? How she never seems to be hurt, no matter what happens to her? How neither you nor that mortal husband of yours could deny her anything?"

"How do you possibly…" she stammered, staring at him in shock, before an accusatory look of anger crossed her features. "You've been watching us!"

"Naturally. You didn't think I wouldn't want to keep tabs on an old friend, did you, Sarah?"

"I told you, we're not friends, Goblin King. And how dare you so much as look at my daughter?"

He suddenly appeared in front of her, causing her to stumble backwards into the wall. He grinned down at her as she glared up at him. She had grown since she had last seen him, and he didn't seem to tower over her any longer, the way he had when she was a teenager. She was grateful for that, at least.

"Come, come, come, Sarah. Don't defy me," he said in a gentle tone. "You know deep in your heart that you can't help Laurel any longer. She needs to learn to control her powers, or she could destroy every thing in your world, herself included."

"You're lying," she snarled, drawing herself up to her full height. "Now get out of here!"

"Or what? You'll scream? Fight me off?" he threw his head back and laughed, a deep, barking sound that sent a chill down her spine. "You might wake the children. You wouldn't want little Noah to see you hand over his sister to me, would you?"

"GET. OUT." She hissed, nearly nose to nose with him now. "Keep away from me, and keep away from my children.

He was laughing again, quietly this time, and he raised a gloved hand to brush her damp hair from her face. "Give me the child, Sarah," he said softly.

"Get. Out."

She glared into his smug face for another moment, before he slowly backed away from her. With one final smirk, he transformed into a barn owl, and flew out the window into the night.

She released a shuddering breath, and ran to shut the window. She slammed the panes closed, and slid the lock into place. She grabbed the heavy drapes and pulled them together, fighting back a sob as she held the thick velvet fabric in her hands. It had been twenty-five years since she had last seen him. If he wanted to get back at her, why wait until now? And why come for Laurel?

She suddenly felt the urgent need to check on her children. She ran from the room, and crept down the hall as quickly as she could. She slowly opened the door to her son's bedroom, and peered inside.

Everything seemed to be normal in here. The twelve-year-old boy was sprawled out on his back, snoring softly. She smiled gently at him, and slipped inside to place the blanket that had been kicked to the floor back on top of him.

A feeling of dread began to pool in her stomach as she closed his door, and made her way towards her daughter's room. Memories of years before flashed through her head, of herself pulling back the covers in Toby's crib, only to find him gone. She took a deep breath before opening the door, and the light from the hallway illuminated the room.

Nothing was out of the ordinary, as far as she could tell. The lump in her daughter's bed was breathing slowly, and the top of a blonde head was peeking out the top of the covers. She padded over towards the bed, and pulled back the comforter ever so slightly. The long, pale face of her daughter met her, and she sighed with relief. She set the cover back over her face, and turned to leave, when she spied something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a barn owl sitting on the branch of the giant oak outside, peering in at her.

She bristled with anger, and stormed over to the window. The owl tilted its head at her as she slammed the window shut with as much force as she could muster. She glared at the bird as she reached up to pull the blinds closed, blocking the room from the Goblin King's view.

"Mom?" she heard a voice slur behind her, and she turned to see Laurel looking out the covers at her, her delicate features heavy with sleep. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing…" Sarah lied, moving closer to gently touch her soft blonde hair. "Go back to sleep. Sorry I woke you."

Laurel didn't need to be told twice, and she pulled the covers back over her head, and buried her face into the pillow. Sarah watched her a moment longer, before slowly closing the door. Her heart was pounding as she headed back towards her own room. She threw herself onto her bed, and reached up to flip off her lamp.

She rolled over onto her stomach, burying her head into her pillow. She closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths. It was fine, she told herself. Laurel was safe, and she was sure he could not take her away unless she allowed him to. She would have to keep a close eye on her daughter for a while, until she was sure the danger had passed.

'Perhaps when I wake up, this will all have been a dream,' she thought, as she rolled onto her side, pulling the covers back over herself.

Author's Note:

This is a rewrite/relaunch of a story I had started on an old account here many years ago. So on the off chance anyone who read it back then recognizes the title or the premise, that's why.

This will be my first Labyrinth fic in nearly ten years, and it's nice to be back.

Thank you for reading.


	2. The Party

**The Rightful Heir**

Laurel stared intently at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a new dress, a light blue one that she had received as a birthday gift from her grandmother in New York. It clung to her slender frame, exposing her long, pale arms and legs. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose bun at the back of her head, and she had several silvery bangles on her wrist. She was satisfied with how she looked, but something felt off.

There was a strange feeling that had welled up in her overnight. It was an odd, almost tingling sensation that she had never experienced before. She had tried stretching and shaking herself, hoping to work out the feeling, but it remained no matter what she tried. She turned to the side, and clenched her hands into fists, feeling the pins and needles work their way up her arm. It wasn't exactly painful, this feeling, but she didn't much like it.

Downstairs, she could hear the party was in full swing. Her party, a sweet sixteen she had begged her mother for. It had taken months of pleading, bargaining, and persistence to convince her quiet, introverted mother to agree to her vision, but she finally managed to wear her down. All her friends, and several other kids from school she was somewhat friendly with, were down there, along with a DJ on the patio (a generous lady friend of her uncle's). Her friend Sam had provided 30 pizzas, courtesy of his father's pizza shop, and a cake from her favorite bakery at a discount by the owner, who was friendly with her mother. Everything was in place for a perfect day, but Laurel was unable to tear herself away from her room and her strange feeling.

There was a knock at the door, snapping her out of her daze. She whirled around, smoothing out her dress with her hands.

"Yeah?" she called out, shaking her head slightly to wake herself up. Noah, her twelve-year-old brother, opened the door slightly, and poked his head in.

"Mom says that if you don't come down right now, she's sending everybody home," he said, his green eyes narrowed with annoyance at having to play messenger.

Laurel rolled her eyes. Sometimes her mother could be so over dramatic. "All right, all right. I'm coming," she sighed, and her brother was gone like a flash.

She knew her mother was right, though. It had been nearly 30 minutes since the party started, and she had neglected her guests long enough. She gave herself one last glance over in the mirror, and headed downstairs to join the celebration.

She was met by several of her schoolmates, standing and chatting in the entryway. There was a cacophony of 'hellos' and 'happy birthdays' as she made her way past them, thanking and hugging her friends along the way. There was a rather large gathering in the living room, she noticed as she walked past, many of who were sitting in front of the television, watching what appeared to be an old Godzilla movie. The den was packed as well, with an enthusiastic group cheering on an impromptu Guitar Hero tournament. As she approached the dining room, where a stack of pizza boxes sat, several of the pies half eaten, she heard a high pitched squeal and something collided with her chest, pulling her into a tight hug, nearly knocking the wind out of her.

"About time!" a voice cried. Laurel looked down into the dark brown eyes of her attacker, her best friend Allison.

"Yeah, sorry," Laurel said sheepishly as Allison released her from her bone crushing embrace.

"Seriously girl, you're having a great party, and you spend it moping around in your room?" Allison motioned for her to follow, and the two girls walked towards the back door.

"It's not that, I just… felt sort of weird," Laurel explained as they stepped out of the open screen door and onto the patio. She and her mother had spent over an hour stringing fairy lights through the large oak trees in their back yard the day before. The sky was a dark grey, and a thin fog had rolled in from the woods nearby, and the lights twinkled happily, brightening up the grim atmosphere.

"Ew," Allison said, wrinkling her nose. "You're not going to puke, are you?"

"No, it's not nausea. It's kind of tingly… I've never really felt anything like it before," Laurel said, as she watched several kids dancing on the patio, where the DJ was set up.

"You okay?"

"I think so, yeah. Just sort of weird, is all," Laurel sighed, before smiling brightly at her best friend. Allison didn't look convinced, but returned her smile.

"Well, I know just the thing to get you out of that funk," she said, throwing an arm around Laurel, giving her a little squeeze. "Look who's standing over by the speakers…"

Laurel looked where her friend was pointing, and her stomach sank when she saw him. Nick Rose, the running back on the school football team. He was quite good looking, and very popular with the girls in school, Allison included. Laurel, on the other hand, wasn't among his fans, which proved somewhat problematic when he had recently begun to express an interest in her. He was rather cocky and full of himself and was a little too forward for Laurel's liking.

"Hey! Nick!" Allison called out, beckoning him over. Laurel groaned as he grinned at her, and made his way through the small crowd.

"Al, come on," she hissed, but Allison paid her no mind.

"Hey guys," Nick said, and Allison gave Laurel a push forward towards him. "Happy Birthday, Laurel."

"Thanks…" Laurel said, forcing a smile.

"I'll let you two chat," Allison chirped, slinking away, leaving a very uncomfortable silence in her wake.

"So…" she said, wishing nothing more than to turn and walk right back into the house.

"Great party."

"Yeah, my mom really outdid herself," Laurel said politely, not really sure what to say. "She's the best."

The music suddenly changed from the upbeat pop song that had been playing to a slow, romantic tune. Suspicious, she peered over Nick's shoulder towards the DJ. Sure enough, Allison stood there, a wide grin on her face, giving her an encouraging thumbs up.

"You uh, want to dance?" He asked, holding out a hand towards her. She stared at him for a moment, not really wanting to dance with him, but not wanting to be rude. She might not have liked him much, but he wasn't a bad guy, really, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings. She hesitantly took his hand, and he pulled her close, putting his other hand tightly around her waist.

"So hey, I was thinking," he said as they swayed to the music, "We're not playing next weekend, maybe you'd like to do something?

"You know what? I'm busy next week. Allison's having a pre-Halloween sleepover, plus I got to work…"

"Oh yeah, you work at the bookstore with your mom." His voice was casual, but she could feel his hand slowly sliding off her waist, moving downwards. "Maybe I'll swing by sometime."

Laurel removed her hand from his shoulder and grabbed his hand, which was now a bit further south than she'd like, and firmly moved it back to her waist. He looked down, averting his eyes away from her, seemingly embarrassed. The song wasn't even half over, and Laurel wished desperately for a way out of this awkward situation.

Someone walked into Nick, stopping the pair dead mid sway. Laurel suppressed a sigh of relief, thanking every deity she could think of.

"Sorry about that, lad," a voice said, and Laurel looked up to see who had saved her. It was a man, roughly her mother's age. He was a few inches taller than her, about Nick's height, and had blond hair that was slicked back behind his head.

"Hey, no worries," Nick said, turning to face him. He seemed a bit taken aback by the stranger, who seemed a bit out of place, an older gentleman in a crisp black suit among a crowd of partying teenagers.

"I was rather hoping I could steal your lovely partner away for a few moments?" the stranger said, his eyes focused intently on Laurel. She pulled away from Nick, not caring about the strangeness of the situation, but glad for an excuse to escape.

"Sure, let's go talk over there," she said, pointing toward the yard. "I'll catch you later, Nick. Why not see if Dana wants to dance?" She motioned towards her friend, who had just wandered out onto the deck, whom she knew had a crush on Nick. He shrugged, and backed away from her.

"I do apologize for interrupting," the stranger said, as they stepped off the patio and into the yard. She stopped beside the steps, and moved to the side, where they would not be in anyone's way. "But you rather looked as though you needed a rescue."

"You are a lifesaver, thank you," she laughed, looking him over. There was something vaguely familiar about this gentleman, but she could not place him. "Have we met, sir?"

"Not formerly, no. I'm an old friend of your mother's, in town for a few days," he said with a gentle smile. He extended his hand towards her, and she shook it firmly. She liked his voice, smooth and deep, carrying a hint of an accent. It was almost soothing, nothing like she had ever heard before.

"Well, thank you for coming, and thank you again for the rescue," she said as the song ended, and she could see Nick and Dana walking back into the house together. "It was nice meeting you, Mr…"

"King."

"Mr. King."

"The honor was all mine, dear girl," he said, reaching into his pocket. He produced a small package, tied with an elaborate blue ribbon. "Happy Birthday, Laurel."

She took the gift from his gloved hand, and opened her mouth to thank him, but a loud crash in the yard drew her attention away. Two boys had knocked over a stack of flowerpots that were sitting near the fence that separated her house from the neighbors.

"Hey, watch it!" she cried, turning to face them. They held their hands up in apology, and backed quickly away. She could see her neighbor coming outside to investigate, and hoped that they hadn't damaged anything of hers as well as her mother's. "Sorry about the noise, Ms. Reine," she called out, and her neighbor smiled and waved her hand nonchalantly.

"Sorry about that," she said, turning back to the stranger, but found to her surprise that he was gone. She hadn't heard him go back up the stairs, and she couldn't quite see where he had disappeared to. She climbed back onto the deck, and scanned the crowd, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

'Maybe he went to find Mom,' she thought as she stepped back into the house, setting the gift on the table with the others. He had said that he was there to see her mom, after all. Certain that she would see him again later in the day, she decided to rejoin her party, and went to see what her guests were up to.

* * *

A/N: Fun fact: this is where I ended up abandoning the original story years and years ago. A small, unimpressive cliffhanger, but setting so much into motion for the characters. But just what is our favorite Goblin King up to?

Thank you for reading, and to everyone who followed, favorited, and commented on the first chapter. Until next time, remember to tip your waiters.


	3. A Not So Sweet Sixteen

**The Rightful Heir**

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep sip of her coffee. Her head was pounding from a combination of lack of sleep and the dull roar of the dozens of teenagers that had taken over her house.

"You okay, Sarah?" She heard her brother ask, and she opened her eyes. Toby was standing beside her, leaning against the kitchen sink. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"Mmm, I'm fine," she said, setting her mug on the counter behind her. She and her family had taken refuge in the kitchen, the only room that had not been taken over by her daughter's guests.

"Are you sure, Sarah? Is everything all right?" her father asked, glancing up from the table towards his daughter.

"Everything's fine, Dad. I just didn't sleep so well last night."

Sarah had drifted in and out of sleep all night, unable to discern whether her encounter with the Goblin King had truly been a dream. She knew it was a ridiculous notion, but it had felt so real, and her drapes had remained closed each time she opened her eyes, just as she had done in her dream. And yet, when she had gone to awaken Laurel that morning, her window and blinds were wide open, and Laurel safe and sound.

"Makes perfect sense," her stepmother, sitting across the table from her father, said with a nod. "You're going to be loosing a lot of sleep in the next few years."

"And how's that?" Sarah asked curiously.

"You've got a sixteen year old now, dear. Your life's about to become a living hell."

"Comforting, Irene. Thank you."

"I'm serious, Sarah. She'll be getting her license soon, I assume?"

"She's taking her test November 19th," Sarah said with a nod.

"And once she gets mobile, she'll be gone at all hours, she'll never be home on time, she'll be running around with all the boys…"

"She does all that now. I haven't been able to nail that girl down since she started high school."

Irene gave her a sardonic little smile. "Oh, it's about to get worse."

"Irene, exactly what is your basis for comparison here?" Sarah said curiously. "I was hardly running around town at her age, you know."

"You were a right mouthy little thing, and you were just as hard to pin down at times."

"As for the wild child, that honor went to your brother, 'Mr. Come home at 3 am reeking of beer' " Robert chimed in. Sarah glanced over at Toby. He didn't look remotely ashamed; instead he had a fond smile on his lips.

"Hey, I turned out all right, so will Laurel," Toby said with a shrug.

"See, what I'm taking from this is that the one I need to worry about is Noah, not Laurel. And I've already told him that he isn't allowed to drive until he's 40, so…"

"I'm not trying to scare you, Sarah," Irene said, "I'm just trying to warn you that the next few years might be difficult."

"I appreciate it, Irene, but I know my daughter. She's a bit lippy, and she doesn't always pay attention to things like curfew, or her start time at work, but she's a good kid."

Sarah reached for her mug again, but found it was not where she left it. Toby was holding it in his hand, peering intently at the coffee inside.

"Sarah, how do you take this?" He asked.

"With milk, like I always do."

"Hmm, needs sugar," he said, turning to search the counter. Sarah scowled, and snatched the cup from his hand.

"Don't mess with my coffee," she snapped. "Pour your own. What's wrong with you?"

"Apparently, the lippy apple doesn't fall from the lippy tree…" Toby said with a smirk.

"Toby…" Robert said with a warning tone, but the younger man just smiled innocently, and turned to grab a clean mug from the cabinet.

"Anyway…" Sarah said, shooting a dirty look in her brother's direction, "I trust Laurel to make good choices. It's just… it's been hard for her. You know, since Jacob…"

She was interrupted by a loud cheer coming from the living room. Several people had begun chanting her daughter's name, and after a moment, the girl herself ducked into the kitchen, her cheeks flushed and her hair falling out of its bun.

"Get wrecked, McLaren!" Laurel crowed, excitedly pointing to someone in the other room. She turned around, and started giggling to herself. "Hey family!"

"Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence," Irene scolded, but the smile on her face was gentle and warm.

"Hi Grandma," Laurel said, leaning down to hug her.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," the older woman said, as Laurel moved to hug her grandfather as well.

"What on earth was that racket?" Sarah asked, peering out around the corner towards the living room.

"That was me, whipping James McLaren's butt at Guitar Hero," Laurel laughed, grabbing a paper plate from the counter. "Ending his reign of terror, and preserving my high score."

"Hardly seems like it's worth all that fuss," Irene said.

"No, Gran, you don't understand. He's been dominating the game all afternoon," Laurel said. "Plus, he totally beat Noah's number 2 score. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn't avenge my brother?"

"Speaking of which, where is your brother?" Sarah asked. "I haven't seen him since I sent him to get you this morning."

"What a coincidence. I haven't seen him since he came and got me this morning," Laurel teased. "Thanks for that, by the way. I was already on my way downstairs."

"Laurel, I woke you up at seven this morning, and you didn't make an appearance until nearly eleven thirty. That's a bit excessive, don't you think?"

Laurel rolled her eyes at her mother as she cut herself a large piece of cake from the corner. "Anyway, he's probably off trying to flirt with some of the freshman girls. Or the senior girls. They'll think he's adorable."

"I didn't know you had any freshman friends," Sarah mused. She had noticed some faces in the crowd that she didn't recognize, but hadn't given much thought to them. Apparently, her daughter was a bit more popular than she had thought.

"Well, I don't, per se, but my some of my friends do. Heather's little sister is a freshman, and I know she's here, and she brought a few friends," Laurel explained.

"Laurel, how many people did you actually invite?"

"You mean, like, personally? Just a few people. Allison, Heather, Sophie, Carly, Dana… you know, the usual crowd. Carly's a cheerleader, so she told the guys on the football and basketball teams about it. Allison told her brother, who told the rest of the student council. It just sort of… spread, you know?"

"Laurel, are you saying that you don't even know some of these people?" Robert asked, surprised by his granddaughter's boldness.

"Probably not, no," she admitted sheepishly. "But come on, it's not like they're strangers."

"That's exactly what it's like," Sarah muttered, taking another sip of her coffee. Laurel turned to her, her eyes hard.

"Aren't you the one who always told me that it's rude to leave people out? That I should treat everybody just the same?" she said playfully, placing her hands on her hips. "If anything, its your fault for raising me to be so friendly and inclusive."

Sarah grumbled as she drained her mug, and Laurel smiled smugly. The three Williams' shared an awkward glance at the strained silence between the mother and daughter.

"Is… that a new dress, dear?" Irene asked Laurel, desperate to break the silence.

"Yeah, from Grandma Linda," she chirped. "Isn't it cute?"

"Yeah, I'm going to have to have a little chat with her," Sarah said. "Shows just a little too much leg for my liking."

"Oh come on, Mom. Don't be such a prude. It totally passes the fingertip test. See?" Laurel said, holding one arm limply at her side. The tips of her fingers brushed the hem of the skirt, but did not fall past it. "I could totally wear this to school."

"Totally," Toby said in a mocking tone, and Laurel stuck her tongue out at him, and snatched a fork from the counter behind him. She took a big bite of cake, but a look of disgust slowly made it's way across her face.

"Something wrong?" her mother asked, noticing the odd expression on her daughter's face.

"I think something's wrong with this cake," she said, setting the plate on the counter. "It tastes terrible!"

"Oh no, what's wrong with it?" Sarah glanced at the cake, which several people had taken pieces of already.

"I'm… not sure. It tastes… weird."

"Weird how?" Toby asked, picking up her plate and inspecting it closely. He carefully took a small bite, but did not recoil in disgust the way his niece had.

Laurel shook her head. "It's sort of… dusty."

"Dusty?" Robert asked. "I've never heard of a cake tasting dusty, sweetheart."

"Well it does! It's like… licking a dust bunny."

"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry!" Sarah said, moving to put her arms around her daughter. Laurel ducked away from her mother's incoming embrace.

"Mom, it's fine. It isn't your fault," she said. "No need to make a scene."

"I'm not making a scene, Laurel. I'm hugging my daughter," Sarah teased, grabbing her and pulling her into an embrace.

"Oh Mom, no…" Laurel moaned, struggling to escape. "Mom, there's people…"

Sarah laughed, and squeezed her daughter tightly before releasing her. Laurel grumbled as she smoothed out her dress, and ducked out of the kitchen to rejoin the party. Sarah turned to the cake, still sitting on the counter, looking it over carefully. She could not understand what could have happened. She had been frequenting the bakery for years, and she knew the baker very well. He would certainly not have allowed a subpar cake to leave his shop. She just didn't know why nobody else had complained about the odd taste Laurel had described.

"Man, I don't know what she was on about," Toby said, setting the now empty plate back on the counter. "I swear, that's the best frosting I've ever had."

"Really?" Sarah said, surprised. She took a fork, and sampled a tiny bite of cake from the edge. The cake was vanilla; Laurel's favorite, and it was just as moist and flavorful as she would expect.

'How strange', she thought to herself. She hoped there wasn't anything wrong with her daughter. She had heard of various illnesses that could make someone's taste buds go bad.

Laurel wandered the house, not sure what group to join next. The Guitar Hero players in the den had all dissipated, and the current movie on the living room TV was Titanic, which she was in no mood to suffer through. Everyone around her was talking and laughing, and the walls seemed to be closing in on her. Her head was pounding, and every sound was loud, yet muffled. She found a spot at the dinning room table to sit down, and rubbed her temples gently.

"Laurel!" a voice cried, and she looked up to see Allison running into the dining room. Her friend's long dark curls were coming out of her ponytail, making her look wild and frazzled. "Laurel, you've got to come quick!"

"What's wrong?" she said, as her vision began to sway. A sudden wave of nausea was taking hold of her.

"Well, you know how Quinn and Marcus broke up two weeks ago?"

"Yeah…"

"And you know how Quinn and Karl Carmichael have been going around for the last week?"

"Al, what's your point?" Laurel demanded testily.

"Well, Marcus just saw Quinn and Karl dancing outside, and…" She was cut off by a loud crash and a shout outside. Laurel quickly got to her feet, and ran to the screen door. Sure enough, the two boys were throwing punches in the yard, a hysterical red haired girl trying to push them away from each other.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" she cried, running out the door, onto the patio. Her head was nearly screaming in pain, now, and she could feel herself teetering slightly as she ran down the steps into the yard towards the brawling boys.

"Hey! Break it up!" she bellowed, shoving one of them away from the other. Undeterred, the boy charged back towards the other, and Laurel shoved him again.

She could hear the music on the patio playing, and the sound suddenly cut, and a loud squeal started emitting from the speakers. The fairy lights above her head began to pulse and flicker, as her headache grew worse. One of the boys threw another punch and Laurel felt something snap inside her as she cried out…

"I said STOP!"

All at once the tiny light bulbs of the fairy lights shattered, and the wailing from the speakers was replaced with a loud bass sound, before cutting out completely. Everything started to spin as she suddenly found herself surrounded by people. Their faces were a blur, their words garbled and indistinguishable.

Her vision began to go black, as she looked into the crowd, and noticed the man she had met earlier, the only person she could make out clearly. He said nothing, only smirking at her, and she suddenly felt herself falling, and was staring up at the swirling brown leaves of the oak trees above her.

"Laurel? Sweetheart?" She heard her mother's voice cry out, sounding far away, echoing in her head as she closed her eyes.

* * *

A/N:

Hoo boy, that took way longer than I anticipated, and got way less accomplished in the story than I wanted. I really wanted to give a feeling for the dynamic between Sarah and her daughter at this point in the story. Plus, hey, you get to see the extended family, and see a bit of what Toby's like as an adult. So not a total loss.

Hopefully, next chapter will be up much sooner. It will be a bit longer, since part of it will be what was originally going to be part of this chapter, before I decided to upload what was done instead.

Thank you for reading, and please leave a review.


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